Hope's Demise
by Tsu-chanB
Summary: Nothing is as it seems when Kurama reluctantly befriends Genkai's old ward.Her hate of demons is obvious, and he's careful not to get too involved.But he is forced to come to a difficult decision and his action against her may cost him Better sum inside
1. Ghost

Hope's Demise

A fanfic by Tsu_chanB

Summary:[Previously "In the Dawn of Twilight"]

What if your enemy wasn't so evil? What if your ally wasn't the innocent victim?

Nothing is as it seems when Kurama reluctantly befriends Genkai's old ward. Her hate of demons is obvious, and he's careful not to get too involved. But in the end he is forced to come to a difficult conclusion about the girl. And his action against her may cost him not only his good standing in Spirit World, but the trust of his friends as well.

A/N: Alright, now that I've gone through it once and actually know what I'm doing, I'm going back and reediting EVERYTHING. :) After the first two chapters you'll be able to see major changes in how the plot progresses. Characters will change, especially Mikomi and Keibi. Noburu's intentions will be more cohesive and Genkai will play a much larger role. I'm hoping to finish all the changes before December so I can start on the sequel. And if you haven't read the original, it's probably better. You don't have to worry about any of that stuff.

As a side note, before I forget, this takes place after the Dark Tournament and before the Chapter Black saga. Thanks for bearing with me, and happy reading!

1. Ghost

Shuichi had long ago mastered the art of feigned attentiveness. He tried to pay attention in class and be a good student but the teacher was monotone, the class was boring, and he already knew the subject inside-out. It was only the first class of the day and Shuichi felt his concentration easily slipping away. It was a miracle he lasted through an entire day of schooling at all.

Now that he thought about it, most of his classes ran the same way. Shuichi had read the textbooks at the beginning of the year and learned all the information he needed to know, a precaution against Spirit World assignments that took him away from school. So now there was nothing new to surprise him.

"Your homework assignment will be to complete essay questions one through five on page forty-two of your workbook," the teacher ordered. Shuichi reigned in his attention long enough to jot down the instructions.

The class stood in unison and bowed. "Thank you very much, sensei."

The teacher bowed in response and left the room. The class immediately erupted into sound. Students moved to stand next to their friends and left to the bathroom or water fountain down the hall, taking advantage of the fifteen minute break between classes.

Shuichi was one of the few who remained seated. He pulled a small book from his briefcase, continuing his reading on the effect of music on brain function and synaptic connectivity.

It wasn't long before the room quieted into order as students returned to their seats. The classroom door slammed open with the entrance of their calculus teacher. A student trailed behind him, one Shuichi didn't recognize as a member of the class. The demon's curiosity was soon piqued along with most of the rest of the class.

"Good morning class," the instructor greeted.

"Good morning Takehashi-sensei," the class chorused obediently.

"Before we begin today's lesson I'm going to introduce our newest exchange student," at this he motioned to the tall teenager beside him.

She bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

"This is Amaya Hirakawa, joining us from Kushiro," Takehashi continued. "Now, let's see . . . Ah, you can sit next to Minamino-san."

Shuichi raised his hand obediently to let her know who he was, though he doubted he needed to, considering the seat beside him was the only empty one left in the classroom.

Amaya smiled politely at him as she took her seat. Shuichi returned the courtesy and diverted his attention back to the teacher as the lesson began. He couldn't keep his mind from wandering for long, though. The review of ellipses was unnecessary to Shuichi and he soon found his thoughts trailing away as boredom took him over.

The hour long class passed slowly but surely. When the teacher left Shuichi decided to stretch his legs, standing at the window beside his desk. He had been planning on introducing himself to the new student Amaya seeing as they would be sitting next to each other for the rest of the year. But Tsuma who sat in front of her beat him to it, quickly whipping around in his seat the moment Takehashi finished his lecture. Shuichi found it hard not to listen to their conversation as he watched cars pass by on the other side of the school gate.

"So what brings you to Meioh, Amaya-san?"

"Well, my father works for a gaming distributor. He was promoted and moved to the corporation's main office here. I was just along for the ride," she said.

"Ah, well let me know if you need help getting around. It's a big city that's easy to get lost in," Tsuma said. Amaya nodded with a 'thank you.'

"So, do you have a lot of friends back home?" Tsuma asked after a minute of silence.

Amaya smiled. "Yes, of course I'll miss them all but it's fun to start a new adventure like this. I'll get to meet so many new people."

Tsuma continued his barrage of introductory questions. Shuichi returned to his seat after a few minutes and was promptly added to the conversation.

He and Amaya exchanged introductions and pleasantries before Tsuma recaptured the girl's attention. Shuichi didn't mind in the slightest, finding it much easier to remain in the background of the conversation until their next teacher arrived.

Shuichi took some time out of the conversation to look over the new girl. He admitted that she was attractive with a long slender frame and wavy ebony locks of hair. Her countenance was also pleasing in a seemingly permanent attitude of warm invitation; highly charismatic.

It didn't take long for the rest of the class to notice either. By the end of the week she was a heartthrob among the male population and many of the girls gathered at her desk between classes. And the attention Amaya gained didn't stop with their class. Friends from other classes learned of her charm and many days Amaya was whisked out to the school lawns for lunch so friends of her classmates could join their circle as well.

Shuichi managed to stay as far from the teenage dramatics as possible. He didn't really become involved until a particularly pleasant spring day drove him out from the confines of the classroom. He usually spent most lunch periods in the classroom with a book, but the fine weather of that Friday drew him out into the sun.

He was planning on finding a tree to sit under to continue reading when a classmate in a group of friends called on him. Shotatsu waved him over and Shuichi joined the circle. He pulled out his bento box and quietly began munching as conversation buzzed animatedly around him.

"What did you get on that pop quiz in micro?"

"83. I hadn't really read the whole chapter for that one."

"So Shuichi, what did you end up doing over spring break?" Shotatsu asked, pulling the demon's attention away from the people around him.

"A friend invited me to his beach house on the west coast," Shuichi answered vaguely. The Dark Tournament was not an experience he would be willing to share with his classmates.

"It was fun," he added. Shotatsu nodded and began a different conversation, leaving Shuichi to continue his eavesdropping.

"Hey! Goshe-sensei just doesn't know how to give us a break! I mean, it's not my fault I didn't have a piece of yellow paper to print my title page on. I think it would have been fine colored in."

"Yeah, Goshe's obsessive-compulsive or something. But, the class isn't too killer if you just say 'yes ma'am' and follow the directions exactly as she gives them."

"That witch just needs to have her tiny little world knocked around a bit."

A new voice cut into the conversation. "Ha! I could help you out there!"

"No!" half the group chorused.

"Sorry Tsuma, but, as good as your ideas are, you just can't help but get everyone caught."

Tsuma pouted and looked away.

"Tsuma-kun, I didn't know you were such a prankster," Amaya joked from beside him. The boy instantly brightened.

"He isn't," Shotatsu interrupted. "That's why he keeps getting caught. The boy couldn't lie to a teacher to save his life."

"I can! I lied about Ghost that one time last year. Don't you remember?" Tsuma defended.

Amaya frowned in confusion. "Ghost?"

Shotatsu burst into raucous laughter. "That was only because you were so scared you could barely think straight, let alone tell on her."

Kana, a girl from another class, turned her attention to Amaya. "I can't believe Tsuma-san hasn't told you yet. That's the best horror story the class has."

"Oh, oh!" Shotatsu waved his hand above his head as if he were still in class. "I want to tell the Ghost story."

"Go ahead," Tsuma shrugged. "But I'm gonna tell you guys what really happened last year so you don't think I'm some kind of chicken."

"Sure you're not," Kana rolled her eyes.

"Who is she?" Amaya asked.

"You've seen her," said Tsuma. "She sits on the end of your row, all the way to the right; short brown hair, really frail looking."

"Oh."

Shuichi placed his attention on Shotatsu. He never remembered hearing the story himself. Perhaps that had something to do with his escapades with the Spirit World, or his lack of normal social interaction.

"So, I've know this girl since grade school." Shotatsu began. "She was pretty normal, ya know. Good grades, happy family, a lot of friends. But then one day in third grade she came to school and wouldn't talk to anyone, she kept shaking too. Her friends tried for a week to get her to open her mouth, and the teachers finally told them to leave her alone or they would get a detention."

He looked over the enraptured group before continuing. "It turns out her parents had been murdered, right in front of her and her older brother. And not just shot in the head or something like that. No, they were shredded to pieces, dismembered."

Amaya shivered and gripped her arms. Several others made disgusted faces as well. Shotatsu continued. "Rumors started spreading around. Some people thought it was a serial killer, others said a wild animal somehow got into their house. But, three years later, the blame shifted to the daughter."

"Like I said, she still had her big brother around. The girl started talking again, ya know, regained her bearings and all that. Her brother took care of her too. Then, one day in her first year of junior high he disappeared; vanished without a trace. The police interviewed the sister, but they couldn't get anything out of her because she stopped talking again. They were suspicious of her, of course. She was the only one left alive in the family. But they didn't have any evidence."

"So she went back to school and everything quieted down. Aside from the rumors, that is. There was one about her family being in a satanic cult, or that she was cursed. There was also one about the Yakuza. There are a lot of really wacko stories about it too, ya know, aliens and spirits and stuff."

"There might be some truth in it, because the friends that she did have when her brother disappeared started getting weird injuries. One guy's leg broke in his sleep. A girl had a tree fall on her while she was out running one morning and was in the hospital for a while after that. Another girl came home one day and her room was on fire: only her room. The rest of the house was untouched, at first anyway. The whole house ended up coming down. The police pegged it as arson. All these people were her friends. Needless to say, they stopped hanging around Ghost after that and the rest soon followed."

"Kinda suspicious, right? But we don't know if all of this is completely true. I can tell you what I know about it, though. That girl hasn't opened her mouth in four years. She never talks to anyone, which is cool with the other students because no one wants to talk to her, in case they might get killed or something for it. The teachers don't even call on her in class, as if they know better. The nickname came up beginning of last year when we got into Meioh. Some smart ass called her that when he was complaining that she wouldn't talk to him. Also, by that time none of the students remembered her real name, and Ghost seemed fitting when someone wanted to tell her story to freak a new student out. Adds some mystery to it, ya know."

Shotatsu smirked. "But knowing her real name makes the story even weirder, in a very ironic sense."

Amaya, who had been completely captured by the story, cleared her throat and whispered, "What's her name?"

"Mikomi."

A silence settled as the end of Shotatsu's tale sunk in. Finally Tsuma shivered and rubbed his arms.

"That last part always gets me," he said.

"So what's your story Little Chicken?" Shotatsu gloated teasingly.

Tsuma glared. "I'm not a chicken." He addressed the group. "You all know how Meioh requires either a group or partner project every year, right? Well, last year I was partnered with Ghost on a history assignment. It would have been cool if it wasn't for what Hisao-sensei said. He called me up at the end of class after giving out the names for the groups."

"He warned me to let him know if I had any problems with my partner and gave me his cell phone number just in case. That was what freaked me out. I mean, what teacher gives his personal information to a student? There's got to be a pretty good reason for it. I figure she must have scared him too if he was willing to do that much."

"Anyway, we had two weeks to work on the thing so I figured I could wait a little bit before trying to talk to her about it. The next day was Sunday and I had a piano lesson that afternoon."

He looked around the group again. "Get this: Ghost showed up in the middle of my lesson. My instructor hates to be interrupted, so he was a little mad when he opened the door and there was a girl standing there who wouldn't answer any of his questions. She just waltzed past him, dropped the completely finished project on my stand and left. Everything was there. She had done a written report and added a power point with videos to it too. All in one night."

"So my question to you is: how the hell did she know I was in a piano lesson right then? And how did she know where it was? That's what I call freaky. I turned it in the next week so it wouldn't seem suspicious and lied to Hisao-sensei when he asked if we worked together on it."

Tsuma turned to Shotatsu as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. "So I'm no chicken. I think anyone would be weirded out by something like that."

The group stood and dispersed. Shotatsu waved Tsuma off. "Point taken. The girl's a creep."

Shuichi joined the majority of the group back to their class. Shotatsu's story about their classmate was interesting to say the least. If the boy wasn't exaggerating, Shuichi would have reason to believe that the girl's experience had something to do with the supernatural. He wondered at how he had never noticed her, even though they had been in the same class for over a year. Then again, it seemed her intent was to remain unseen.

"What'd you think, Shuichi-san?" Amaya attempted to add him to the conversation. "About Shotatsu's story?"

Shuichi smiled pleasantly. "A fun campfire tale, to be sure. I don't find it anything to be taken too seriously. I doubt anyone could go without speaking for that amount of time. What was your impression?"

"Oh, it's horrible that no one would want to talk to her after all that she's been through. I thought maybe I would try to be her friend. She probably needs one," Amaya said.

"You may want to be careful with that idea. Going by what Shotatsu said, friendlessness was her goal to begin with," Shuichi said, amused at her compassion. The students returned to their seats.

Heading to his chair, Shuichi spared a glance down his row to the opposite end. Sure enough the girl was there, brown haired as Tsuma described and very thin, haggard even. She was also extremely pale, dark shadows easily standing out beneath her dull green eyes. The girl remained bent over a book on her desk. She didn't even look up when the teacher entered the classroom.

Midway through the lecture Shuichi glanced at Ghost again, surprised to see her eyes still glued to her book. The demon turned his gaze to the instructor. The woman didn't seem to notice at first, but Shuichi caught her sending an annoyed glare toward the back of the room. So she noticed, but didn't do anything about it. Was she also afraid of the girl's reputation? How had he not seen these strange happenings before?

He finally shrugged it all off as inconsequential. Surely Koenma would have sent them after this girl if she posed any real threat. Shuichi concluded that most of the story was over-exaggeration, a tale created by the students for entertainment. The likelihood of everything being true was pretty low.

Then again, Koenma didn't know of all the supernatural happenings in the human world. There were always new threats and unusual human and demon relationships to be uncovered. Maybe this was one of those cases. From what the story said, that girl has been involved with demons, or at least ghosts, for many years. Shouldn't that have popped up on Spirit World radar? And, if not, what kept it hidden?

Shuichi glanced at Ghost again. Maybe this was something worth looking into.

The rest of the school day passed as slowly as usual until Amaya turned to him at the end of the last class.

"Okay, wish me luck," she said. Without letting him respond she left her seat and walked to the other end of the room. Amaya stopped by the silent brunette.

"Excuse me," Amaya addressed her.

The girl looked up as the students who could see the interaction fell quiet in surprise. Ghost's dull eyes stared blankly at Amaya, waiting for her to continue.

The taller girl cleared her throat nervously. "My name's Amaya. I've noticed how you always sit here by yourself and was wondering if you might want to sit with me and my friends at lunch tomorrow."

Shuichi saw the sitting girl's knuckles turn white as her grip tightened on her book. He noticed an expression he couldn't place flash through her eyes briefly before they returned to blank objectivity.

Amaya shifted slightly in the silence as Ghost continued to stare at her. Very suddenly she stood, slammed her book shut, and grabbed her briefcase as she walked out through the back door behind her desk. Amaya frowned and moved back to her desk.

Tsuma laughed nervously. "Maybe your forward attitude scared her off."

"I guess she really just doesn't want to be friends," Amaya shrugged sadly. "But I think I want to try again."

Guided by curiosity, Shuichi also left for the day. He hoped to follow the silent girl at least out of the school building. He wanted to see if this would be worth the effort, if he should bother contacting Koenma over this odd human girl.

He caught up to her when she stopped to change into her street shoes. Shuichi did likewise, containing his curiosity until she left the shoe lockers. He finally looked up and followed, keeping a safe distance behind. She exited school grounds and turned left, moving in the opposite direction he would take to go home.

Shuichi walked leisurely behind her, even as the distance between them grew. She walked quite a bit faster than him. He watched closely as her shoulders tensed. She had noticed him. Ghost turned her head, looking behind her. She glared as their eyes connected. Shuichi kept up his innocent façade, even as she stopped to wait for him.

Shuichi halted before her, one hand in his pocket as the other gripped his briefcase. He waited patiently for her to speak. The tension produced when someone watched and waited for speech made even the most devoted mute beg for conversation. He knew she would not last long. The question was, what would she say when she did open her mouth?

"After all this time," the girl's voice was soft and mellow, something he wasn't expecting. She cleared her throat. "I was beginning to think you weren't one of them. I guess I was wrong."

He scrutinized her as he thought her statement over. He was confused, to say the least. 'One of them' as in the classmates who delighted in mocking her solitude? Or did she perhaps mean something more along the lines of the supernatural? He knew he could be jumping to conclusions, but was she talking about demons? Did she know that he was a demon?

"What are you referring to?" he asked.

She glared back. "I won't play your game, demon. Just know that you should give up now. You will fail like the others. Go back where you came from."

Shuichi watched with narrowed eyes as she turned her back on him and left. So she did know. He had so many new questions. For now, though, his secret seemed safe. From what she said, Ghost had known for a while. There was nothing else he could do about it except report his findings to Koenma and see if that yielded any results.

He turned around and walked back towards his own home. Shiori would already be waiting for him. Shuichi supposed his new investigation could wait until he completed his duties at home and took care of his school assignments. He was under no pressure and he felt there was plenty of time to look into the matter.

The faint wisps of a demonic presence began to awaken at the edges of his senses. Shuichi tensed and concentrated on the unfamiliar aura. It grew stronger as he moved forward.

He could see the man after a few more minutes of walking, leaning against a light pole beneath a row of silent houses. No doubt waiting for Shuichi. It took the fox a few moments, but memories from his past life reminded him of who the blonde demon was. His guard rose immediately.

The teenager stopped several feet away; a safe distance. He stared the demon down.

The man looked at him, blood colored eyes amused. "Youko Kurama, I presume?"


	2. Demon

A/N: My God, I actually did it! :O I actually got another chapter out on this. Let me tell you, revising a story is ten times harder than producing one, in my opinion. There's just so little motivation to finish. . . . Or maybe it's because I end up rewriting everything -_-;

Happy reading!

2. Demon

The man looked at him, blood colored eyes amused. "Youko Kurama, I presume?"

"Yeru," Kurama responded calmly, body tense.

"Ah, so you do remember me? I'm sorry I didn't recognize you immediately. You always were good at disguising yourself." The demon grinned darkly, as if enjoying a personal joke.

"Why are you here?" Kurama asked shortly.

Yeru lifted his hand nonchalantly. "You aren't still mad at me for tipping you off to those Spirit World goons, are you? Too bad for you they drove a higher bargain and I was smart enough to figure you out." He tapped his temple. "But let's cut to the chase. I want something you have. Or should I say 'had'? The last treasure you stole before you got caught; the Eye of Judgment.

Kurama's eyes narrowed. "You are an information dealer. The gaining of rare artifacts was never of interest to you. Why now? And for a lesser item such as that?"

Yeru shrugged. "I'm only after the money. I have a lead on a demon who would love to get his hands on that Eye and I'm always looking for some extra cash."

"You would have more luck scouring the Demon World for it than asking me," Kurama said coldly.

"Now, now Kurama. Please be a little more cooperative. I'd hate to have to kill one of my best clients."

"Your confidence is misguided. I suggest you leave before it's too late," Kurama responded. They stood in a stalemate for several seconds, neither willing to back down. Yeru moved, slipping his hands into his pockets as he walked. He stopped when he was about to pass by the fox demon.

"We're not in any rush. You get one week. If you don't have it, I won't hesitate to kill you and your human family."

Kurama glared, watching as his enemy sauntered out of eyesight. He clenched his teeth together and continued on his walk home. He went over what he knew of Yeru and tried to determine what he could possibly want with such a weak item. And then there was the fact that he had used the word 'we,' suggesting he was working in a group, something the fox had not known him to do. Kurama concentrated on what he already knew about the demon, recalling the memories of their previous encounters and trying to remember all of his strengths and weaknesses.

By the time he pushed open the front door of his home he had created a viable attack plan and several scenarios for the meeting he knew they would eventually have. He also made sure to compensate for a possible increase in Yeru's power since their last meeting. Kurama was determined not to be concerned about it, and he definitely wasn't going to give up the item, no matter how unimportant it seemed.

"Mother, I'm home," he called as he slipped his shoes off. Shiori peeked her head into the entryway, a large smile on her lips. Kurama couldn't help but smile back, his current predicament overshadowed by the warmth of her presence.

He decided to wait until the weekend to contact Koenma. In the meantime, he would wait and watch for Yeru to strike. Kurama also figured that there would be no reason to pressure the girl Mikomi unless there was a need to do so. He ignored her presence almost completely and she tried to fade back into the darkest corner or the class, out of the students' attention. Amaya, however, did not agree with her plan and pestered the silent girl daily, trying to get her to speak at the very least.

Amaya approached Ghost every day after school for several days, always receiving the same response. Ghost apparently realized that Amaya wasn't giving up and began leaving as soon as the last bell rang. Amaya merely changed her tactic and started asking Ghost to join her for lunch at the beginning of the lunch break. They only saw Ghost during class after that.

The persistence of both girls amazed the fox demon. Amaya refused to leave Ghost to herself even after the numerous rejections and the fact that Ghost was disappearing more than before to keep away from Amaya. Amaya's friends understood her determination as much as him. Ghost's response to the invasion of her privacy was to live up to her name more fully. She began to disappear at certain times of the day until she vanished from school completely.

Kurama could have been concerned about his subject's disappearance, but chose to wait until after his meeting with the lord of the underworld to decided whether or not to pursue her. He planned to visit him the next day, so he wouldn't have long to wait.

The final bell rang to signal the beginning of the weekend and tore Kurama from his reflections. The teacher dismissed the class and left. The noise of the classroom soon overpowered the clatter of rain outside. Kurama looked out the window at the dark sheets of water pouring from the sky. He contemplated waiting to see if the rain would lighten before going home.

"I didn't think you were the type to scare someone away completely, Amaya," Tsuma's voice drew Kurama's attention back to the classroom. "I mean, it's been like three days since Ghost's come to class."

"Maybe she's sick," Amaya defended weakly, fiddling with her pencil. Kurama watched Shotatsu approach and add himself to the conversation.

"Just give it up, Amaya. They've had police and psychiatrists on that girl, trying to get her to talk. You're not going to get any more out of it than they did."

"Ready to go, Shot'su?" Tsuma said and left his seat, picking up his briefcase. "Chem meeting's in ten minutes."

Shotatsu nodded and turned back to Amaya.

"You can't give someone help if they don't accept it," he said. "You're better off putting your energy somewhere useful."

The students exchanged good-byes as the two boys left. Kurama looked to the window again. The rain was still pouring and a bolt of lightning seared the clouded sky. Thunder followed shortly after. He sighed and stood from his seat, finally deciding to brave the storm. At least he had brought an umbrella.

He noticed Amaya had already left as he made his way out of the classroom and down to the first floor. Kurama changed into his street shoes and left the building, pulling open his umbrella on the covered entryway.

He was about to step out into the rain when a familiar figure waiting on the porch caught his attention.

"Amaya-san?" he asked. She looked like she had been steeling herself to run out into the rain uncovered. She smiled sheepishly at him.

"Did you bring an umbrella?" The fox questioned and moved to stand next to her.

"I forgot to check the weather this morning. I didn't know it would rain this hard," she admitted.

Kurama offered her his arm and the cover of his umbrella. "I would be happy to walk you home."

"Thank you, Shuichi-san," she sounded relieved as she took his arm and they walked into the dark weather together. They were silent for the first several blocks, not that much could be heard easily over the clatter of rain.

Amaya spoke first in an attempt to create a friendly conversation. Kurama obliged with responses about his school life and extracurricular activities; nothing too personal. After a sufficient amount of small talk, the fox decided to broach a subject he had wanted to ask Amaya about for a few days.

"Amaya-san, if I may ask, what is it that compels you to befriend Mikomi-san? It seems to be more than a passing fancy."

She looked at him questioningly before casting her gaze to the ground in front of her feet. She was silent for several moments as she thought. "I never really thought that much about it, which is silly since I've been putting so much work into it, but . . . . I guess it's my dad's fault. Growing up he always used to tell me 'isolation equals desolation'. 'You have to get in people's Kool-Aid,' he would say 'cause humans are social creatures and we need each other to keep us in line. That's the only way to stay sane. If you don't let other people tell you when you start to get weird, you get wrapped up in your head and go crazy.'"

Amaya shrugged. "I think sanity is the best thing ever so I want to share it with everyone. Mikomi needs sanity, I think, more than most others."

Kurama watched her for a moment. She didn't notice, looking at the path ahead with a small frown.

"You have an interesting way of looking at things, Amaya-san," he said.

She blushed and laughed. "I guess so."

Kurama stopped as the two came upon a line of trees to their right, a side of a local park. Amaya watched him, looking for an answer to his odd behavior. He felt Yeru's presence again. The rain obscured his vision, but Kurama could see the demon's blonde head. He was leaning against one of the trees, waiting for him again.

Without a word Kurama handed his briefcase and umbrella to Amaya.

"Stay here," he commanded. He hoped they were far enough away that Yeru wouldn't see her through the downpour. Kurama stepped into the rain, preparing to face his opponent.

"Shuichi, what are you doing?" Amaya took a step forward to follow him.

"Don't move." His harsh glance stopped her. Amaya chewed on her lip as he walked ahead and nearly disappeared in the downpour. She could still see his red uniform. He stopped by one of the trees.

Amaya shifted and her classmate suddenly vanished. She moved forward but a loud shout stilled her. It was followed by what sounded like a thunder crack, though slightly different. Amaya didn't remember seeing the lightning that usually preceded such a sound.

Her mind raced and she squinted to see if she could make out any figures ahead. Should she wait for Shuichi or go home by herself? What was he doing anyway? Her heart pounded harshly, warning her of danger.

"Well now. Not the best place to daydream, don't you think?"

Amaya gasped and whipped around at the unfamiliar voice. Her eyes widened and she gripped the umbrella in her sweaty hand more tightly. She bit her lip, not sure if she should answer the short old woman.

"I'm not. Just waiting . . . ." Amaya finally admitted. The woman smiled lightly.

"Go home. There's no good reason to stand in the rain."

"But, Shuichi-"

"I know," she interrupted. Amaya stared, fearful and confused. Her whirring brain tried to comprehend how the pink haired woman knew Shuichi's situation, much less who he was. Was she a friend of his? How had she known to come there at that moment?

"I'm not getting any younger, girl. And I don't have the patience to drag you home myself. Just do what I say," the old woman nearly snapped after a sufficiently long silence.

After a few moments Amaya complied. She turned back around and started home at a jog. She wasn't sure why she should, except that every cell in her body screamed for her to find safety. Home would be safe.

Amaya didn't dare to look back, or into the darkness of the trees as she passed despite the noises she heard. She could still feel the old woman's eyes on her back until she turned the next corner and made her way home.

Genkai looked to the trees beside the walkway, her frown deepening. Her eyes suddenly widened as she felt a spike in energy from one of the combatants and a shout of pain reached her ear. Not wasting any time, the psychic dashed into the darkness.

Kurama had a plan. He knew how Yeru operated from previous encounters and had come up with a good battle tactic. Now it was only a matter of putting it into motion. He watched Yeru, waiting for the demon to move. He spoke instead.

"You should have just given up the location when I asked, Kurama. You seemed so desperate to save your skin when you became a human. It doesn't make sense that you would hold onto a little bauble when you willingly destroyed your dignity like that," Yeru sneered.

Kurama's eyebrow quirked up briefly. He decided not to comment and made his first attack. The whip missed its target and came back to strike again. Yeru defended with his twin daggers and fended off the sharp thorns.

The blonde demon jumped back, out of range of Kurama's weapon, and spoke a few hushed words in a different language. Two copies of Yeru arose from the water gathering on the ground in the constant rain. All three charged at the fox in a unison attack.

Kurama watched all three as he dodged and blocked their attacks, trying to keep track of which was the real one. It wasn't hard considering he was the only one with a weapon.

The fox caught one of the copies by the arm with his whip and cut the appendage off. The limb disintegrated into water. The copy hardly seemed to notice. The other two Yerus caught Kurama's attention as one kneed him in the gut before the other grabbed his arm and swung him through several tall oaks.

Kurama staggered back to his feet as his three opponents entered his range of vision. The copy he injured had grown a new arm but that didn't matter much. The seed had already been planted. It just needed time.

The fox returned to the fight, knowing that he could win if he lasted long enough against the three. He sent out his whip again and, after a few unsuccessful attempts, split one of the copies in half. The residual water fell back to the ground in puddles. But he wasn't given much time to enjoy his victory as his remaining opponents rushed in for a close attack. Kurama had to fall back on his martial arts, blocking and deflecting the blows aimed at vital areas of his body. He wanted to counter but couldn't, given the disadvantage he was at fighting two-to-one.

Kurama nearly missed sight of Yeru's dagger as he defended himself. The other demon struck while he was distracted with the copy, meaning to impale the fox. Kurama jumped back just in time, trading his life for a deep gash across his side and up his chest. He quickly retreated farther back. The two Yerus remained where they were, watching as he placed a hand over his wound and tried to stay upright. His weakened body eventually buckled beneath him. Kurama found himself on the ground again.

He gripped the grass under his hand, huffing out a few harsh breaths as he tried to think around the pain. He could hear Yeru laugh and the sound of quick footfalls soon followed beneath the clatter of rain.

"Come on," Kurama growled to himself, pushing his body to respond to his brain. He tried to tamp down the weakness and throbbing pain. He just needed to last a little longer.

Determined, Kurama finally forced himself to his feet a second time and reared back his whip for an attack on the real Yeru. The other demon threw his dagger, staking the plant weapon to the ground. The copy rushed Kurama from the side, drawing his attention from the original as the fox was forced to defend. Kurama didn't notice Yeru's second dagger fly through the air until it imbedded in his shoulder.

Kurama cried out at the pain and was distracted from his current opponent long enough to receive a punch to the face from the copy. Kurama slid across the ground and came to a stop several feet away. With a groan he pushed himself up with one arm. When he was sure he was stable enough to hold himself up, he moved his hand to pull out the dagger. Kurama stayed sitting, holding his bleeding side as he tried to gather the strength to stand.

The Yerus moved to stand in front of him. One, who Kurama could only assume was the original, spoke.

"Come now, Kurama, did you really think you had the strength to defeat me while still stuck in a human body?"

"As a matter of fact," Kurama responded with a smirk. "I already have."

Yeru glared. "You're delusional."

"Using doppelgangers is a risky gamble. They are highly dependant on environmental conditions and require a concentrated amount of spirit energy. Some varieties lack the pain receptors necessary to avoid certain types of attacks. Yours is an example. If your copy was able to feel pain more strongly, it would have noticed that it was infected." Kurama stood shakily.

"Infected?" Yeru glanced at the figure beside him, looking for anything unusual. "With what?"

"The Corpse Plant, more commonly known as the Ghost Flower. It's a parasite, and the demon world variety is very picky. It grows on spirit energy and can only live on one source. Since your doppelgangers are really extensions of yourself, you've become the target. And unlike you, your copy couldn't feel that I had planted the seed in its body," Kurama said.

Yeru was livid. "Bastard!"

Several things happened at once. Kurama took a step back as Yeru lunged at him. The blonde demon's anger had spiked his spirit energy and the ghost flower reacted, exploding out of its water-based confinement and going after its intended meal. The milky white roots of the flower attached to Yeru and his copy disappeared. Yeru fell to the ground, twitching and trying to move. The white, drooping flowers sprouted over his back.

"You won't be going anywhere, I'm afraid," Kurama said as he stood over Yeru. "The flower's released a stunning poison into your body. Once its fed on your spirit energy the plant will revert to your life energy. There won't be anything left."

Kurama began to walk away. "You should have stayed an informant."

The fox didn't get very far. He stepped out of rang of Yeru's shouting voice and almost immediately fell to the ground as he ran out of adrenaline. His body had finally figured out that he wasn't fighting anymore and decided now was as good a time as any to rest. Unfortunately, his brain didn't agree. Kurama groaned, pushing his good hand against the ground to try to right himself again. It didn't work this time.

The world spun in his vision and he realized that the hit he received may have been worse than he thought. To be that disoriented, he had to have lost a lot of blood. So he laid there on the ground, breathing heavily and holding his side. He was having a hard time keeping his thoughts coherent. He kept wondering what his mother would say when he finally went home, no matter how many times he tried to bring himself back to reality, back to the situation at hand.

"Well aren't you the lucky one."

Kurama blinked sluggishly and tilted his head up to the source of the voice. A familiar head of pink hair greeted him, accompanied by a wrinkled smile.

". . . Genkai?" He wasn't sure if she heard him. Kurama could barely hear himself. She easily lifted him off the ground and began to walk.

"Has anyone ever told you how much of a pain in the ass you are?" she asked before the rain drowned everything out of his mind.


	3. Hatred

A/N: Yes, I do still exist XP Sorry for the complete lack of updates recently. I've just been in rut with the fics on here. But yeah . . . here's an update.

3. Hatred

The first thing Kurama noticed upon waking was the dull ache of his worn body, most notably the gash across his chest. The second thing his senses introduced to his brain was the rhythmic patter of rain against the window by his head and the gentle murmur of voices in the next room. Finally the fox opened his eyes to the dim light of an unfamiliar room.

He sat up and winced as his hand automatically flew to cover the worst wound. It was well bandaged, obviously the work of an experienced healer. He surveyed the room, looking for his missing shirt, but found nothing recognizable.

It was a small space. He sat on the bed with a nightstand beside it and a desk next in line. On the opposite wall a hamper had been stuck in the corner between the desk and a dresser. The last wall was hidden behind two tall bookshelves crammed full of books. He realized after a moment that it wasn't a separate room so much as a closed off space. The bookshelves served as the barrier between the dark 'bedroom' he was in and the lit area beyond. He could easily see the light through the doorway and above the shelves.

The fox stood slowly, carefully, as he listened in on the nearby conversation. He instantly recognized the voice of Genkai in the next room.

"Just drink your damn tea," the old woman grumbled.

"I can't, not with that thing still here," a soft voice responded. Kurama placed the voice as Mikomi's after a bit of thought. The malice was easy to identify under the oddly placid tone, and he had a suspicion the girl was referring to him. She had already proven her dislike of him. The only question was why Genkai had taken him to her, of all people.

"That 'thing' is a good friend of mine, one you should respect. Not every demon is utter evil and he is one of the good ones. I'd think even your narrow, biased mind could understand that."

"You're asking me to trust a killer. You never know when someone like that will turn their back on you," Mikomi said.

"And you're making assumptions about someone you don't even know," Genkai retorted. "Now shut up and drink your tea. I'm not going to wait around here forever for you."

"I know enough about demons to know what this one's like and I wouldn't have a problem if you didn't bring him into my house."

"Well I wasn't going to leave him to die. We're not going to get anywhere with this, you know. Stop making excuses or I'm leaving," Genkai said. There was a brief pause before she added an afterthought. "Isn't protection the whole reason I come here?"

"Yes, but . . . ." Mikomi was at a loss for a good comeback. Taking it as a good cue for an entrance Kurama left Mikomi's 'room' and found the two women seated at a small, low table. Genkai turned as Mikomi's eyes moved to glare at him. The old woman smiled.

"Good to see you're up," Genkai said. She stood and procured a cup from the kitchenette beside them. He saw his shirt laying over the arm of a plush chair against the wall by the door and took note of the clock on the wall that said it was late evening. He was relieved he only slept for a few hours.

Mikomi's eyes never left him as Kurama sat at the table. Ignoring her, the fox looked to Genkai. "It was very fortunate you were in the area. Thank you."

She set the cup before him and poured the hot liquid. Mikomi finally spoke as he reached for the cup.

"Get out of my house." Kurama knew it was supposed to be a commanding threat, but coming from her it wasn't very intimidating.

Genkai promptly smacked her over the head. Mikomi responded with a curse, and glared as Genkai resumed her seat.

"I was already on my way over here. You got lucky. . . . Again." Genkai seemed to be ignoring Mikomi at that point, since the girl was still trying to be threatening. Kurama decided to play along.

"It seems so." He sipped at his drink, quickly taking note of the fact that Mikomi's cup was indeed full. She had yet to touch it. "Though I would not call it luck that I was in that situation in the first place."

"What happened?"

"I was attacked by a demon I was acquainted with many years ago. He was after an item I own, though I haven't yet figured what he wanted it for."

"It must have been important if he was willing to kill you over it," Genkai said.

He nodded. "Yes, which makes it all the more puzzling. The item in question is called the Eye of Judgment. It's very weak and has only one function which has almost no value in battle. Also, the demon implied he was working with others, something unusual for him. I'm beginning to suspect he was only a pawn in a larger scheme."

"Does Koenma know?"

"No, but I was meaning to pay him a visit anyway. I don't know how much light he'll be able to shed on the situation."

"Better than nothing." The old psychic shrugged. Kurama glanced again at Mikomi. She was staring hard at her cup and he wondered if she had even been listening to their conversation. All of a sudden she seemed to make up her mind. Mikomi took up her cup, chugged the contents in one long gulp and stood abruptly.

"I don't want to see you here when I get up," she said, glaring again at Kurama. The fox quirked an eyebrow but remained silent. She left to her 'room' and he heard a bit of shuffling before the house was silent again.

"That girl," Genkai growled.

"I'm not bothered, though I am curious how you know one of my classmates," Kurama said.

"Classmate? Mikomi didn't mention that, but I can't say I'm surprised." She took another drink of tea. "Her brother was my pupil several years ago, right before Yusuke came along. I visit her every few weeks."

"I hear he disappeared," he added, hoping to get a little more insight.

Genkai gave him a sidelong glance. "How did you know that?"

"A little bird told me." He smiled lightly.

She returned the gesture. "Fine, keep your secrets. Yes, he did. He was captured by a demon, the same one he was training under me to defeat. I assume he's dead."

Kurama nodded. "That would explain Mikomi's hate of demons."

"There's more to it than that." She lowered her voice in case the girl could still hear. "That demon, he still keeps tabs on her. She says demons follow her most days, but I haven't sensed many. It's probably true."

"How does she know?"

"Mikomi has always had a unique sixth sense. While most that can will sense your aura she sees a wavelength. She can tell how powerful you are, whether you're sick or not, even your emotions. I've never seen anything like it. It would explain why that demon is interested, though."

Kurama took a moment to absorb the information. That explained what Mikomi meant when she told him not to follow her after school that day. She thought he was one of those demons keeping tabs on her. He still had more questions.

"Would that sixth sense be the reason Mikomi seems to know so much about the other students? I've heard she has a lot more information gathered about others than she should."

Genkai's frown deepened. "No I think that's . . . . Mikomi's just neurotic. She's probably been watching them to make sure they don't get involved with that demon. I'm sure your presence didn't help."

"Is she worried this demon will attack her through them?" he asked.

"No, he wouldn't. He's already told her as much. She's afraid he'll target those around her. He has before. She more wants to keep track of them so she'll know they're safe."

Kurama frowned. That did match with the story he heard. It also put her avoidance of Amaya into perspective. He didn't agree with Mikomi's method, but he could now understand why she did it. Still, there were some things that didn't add up. "What reason would he have to attack her classmates? That seems very roundabout to me."

"I don't know. Mikomi won't tell me anything. She's a stubborn mule, and to her credit is probably worried I'll be killed. It's hard enough to get her to let me come over now," Genkai said. "She would never sleep if I didn't make her."

"I see." The fox frowned at his teacup in the short silence.

"I suppose I can ask Koenma about it when I see him," Kurama offered. He was still interested in the whole case and was sure the Lord of the Underworld would want to know about it as well.

Genkai snorted derisively. "You make this all sound so important. Don't you think I would have gone to him myself if there was something happening?"

"Then why haven't you?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Genkai set her empty cup down. "Because it's none of my business. Mikomi's brother was training to kill this demon, like I said. I don't know why and I don't care either. All I cared about was that he was going to be my successor. He died so I had to find a new one. I'm certain that demon was watching Mikomi to make sure she didn't try anything similar and her sixth sense probably caught his attention. Besides, if he really wanted to do something he would have done it by now. It's been almost four years."

"True, but I'm sure Koenma would want to be informed, in any case." The old psychic responded with a shrug. She stood and gathered the used dishes on the table. Kurama, taking it as a sign the conversation was over, moved to the armchair and pulled his shirt and school jacket on.

"Let me know how it turns out," Genkai said as he made for the door.

He nodded. "Thanks again for your help."

She waved him off and he closed the door behind him. He realized as he left that his school bag and umbrella were with Amaya. He didn't know where she lived either. Kurama frowned. He would have to wait until Monday at school to get it back.

Kurama didn't have to sneak into the house that night. All the lights were already off, meaning his mother had gone to bed. There was a note for him on the stove, letting him know there were leftovers from dinner in the fridge. He bypassed them and went to his room, stripping off his battle-ruined clothes and stuffing them under his bed. He knew he would have to patch them up later but decided there were more pressing matters to deal with at the moment.

He dressed himself in a clean uniform and left the house through the window. Now was the perfect time to take that visit to Koenma, when Kurama knew his mother wasn't concerned with where he was and the recent events were still fresh in his mind.

He understood Genkai's reticent approach to Mikomi's situation. The old woman was probably desensitized to human-demon encounters. Still, the fox couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else going on, something important. Not to mention Genkai was overlooking the most disturbing fact of the demon's involvement with Mikomi: he was still tracking her after four years.

Kurama had always been a patient demon and there were times in the past when he did have to keep tabs on someone, usually for his own safety. Six months was the most he had to go, and he might have done a year if it seemed pertinent, but four? That was far too long for something as simple as making sure she wasn't after revenge. The fox knew they were missing some important piece of information, and he only hoped Koenma would be able to provide it.

The ogres let him in almost immediately. He found Koenma in his usual spot, stamping away at a large stack of papers. The baby ruler looked more happy than surprised to see Kurama, most likely because he knew the demon would be a distraction from his work.

"What brings you here, Kurama?" he asked, jumping out of his seat and onto the top of the desk. "Nothing too serious, I hope."

The fox smiled. "Nothing so dire as the fate of the world, but I did want to speak with you about something I felt might be of some importance."

"Shoot."

"It concerns a classmate of mine. I may be jumping to conclusions, but I'd like your opinion on the matter." Kurama went on to explain the rumor of Mikomi at school and his meeting with her afterwards. He mentioned Yeru's attack as a segue into his meeting with Genkai and an explanation of his time at Mikomi's house. Kurama tried to be as detailed about the conversation as possible.

"Hmm." Koenma clutched his chin in his hand. "I think I remember Genkai mentioning that student of hers but I didn't know he had a sister, and she didn't say there was anything odd about him. That sixth sense, though . . . that bothers me. A wavelength . . . wavelength . . . ."

Koenma snapped his fingers. "Ah! Of course!" He jumped off the desk and set out with a determined stride and Kurama followed behind.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I remember the Lamians had a similar ability, but it's nearly impossible that this would be the same thing."

"I've never heard of a Lamian. Is that a species of demon?" They stopped in front of the large double doors that Kurama recognized led into the library. The doors swung open and Koenma led him back through the many aisles of books.

"Well no, not technically. They are the ancestors of demons and at one point closely resembled humans. They differed greatly from humans in only one aspect: their connection to spirit energy." Koenma stopped at the bottom of a long ladder and moved it over several meters. He climbed up until he was eye level with Kurama. "The Lamians had a strong spiritual awareness, so much so they could tell the minute differences in the spirits of individuals. They mostly used their power for healing and increasing their own life spans. It was rumored their healing ability was so powerful it could raise the dead."

Koenma stopped for a moment. He scratched his cheek, embarrassed. "But that's about all I know. I never paid too much attention to it in class. Besides, there's no way this Mikomi could be one of them. The race died out several millennia ago."

Kurama nodded. "There is a similarity though, enough to catch your attention."

"That's true. I don't know. I'll read up on their history and look into the girl's genealogy. Maybe that will help. To be honest, I'd rather side with Genkai on this one. It just doesn't seem that important."

Kurama frowned before Koenma spoke again as he resumed his climb. "But I trust your judgment too much to let it pass. I'll let you know if I find anything useful."

Kurama thanked the small ruler before leaving the library and heading back home. He was looking forward to a good night's sleep.

He slept in the next day and had an uneventful afternoon. Amaya got into contact with him and returned his briefcase, though not without question. Kurama gave her a plausible enough excuse and she seemed to catch onto the fact that he wasn't willing to share the details. He was glad she decided not to be pushy about it, and the next day at school she regarded him almost as if nothing odd had happened.

The sun shone brightly that Monday afternoon despite the large billowing clouds that tried to hide it. The teachers were hard pressed to contain the students' enthusiasm over the good weather, especially as the school day neared its end.

"Settle down," Rikuto, the last teacher of the day, commanded as the classroom began to fill with chatter. He had ended the class ten minutes early but it seemed that was for a purpose. The students withheld their excitement.

"As you all know," he continued. "Next week is the last week before the break. I've decided to take that time to assign the annual group project. You will have the next two weeks to complete it. I will also allow you some class time to work together. You will be working in groups of three. Your project will be on one major organ, body system, or neural system. It is up to your team to decide. The report should be a minimum of fifteen pages and must be accompanied by two multimedia items. You are free to leave once I announce the names for your group."

Rikuto took up his clipboard and began to read the names off the list. Kurama watched the tree leaves sway outside the window as he waited for his name to be called. He only hoped his group wouldn't have any slackers. He glanced once at Amaya and saw her doodling in her notebook, one arm propping her head up in a bored manner. Kurama decided he wouldn't mind having her in his group.

"Group seven: Hirakawa, Minamino, and Soma," Rikuto announced. The fox smiled lightly. Fate was with him that day.

"Shuichi-san." Kurama turned to Amaya as she addressed him. "Was there anything you wanted to work on in specific?"

"No. I have no preference," he smiled. "You?"

She shrugged. "Not really."

"What about our other member?" He suggested.

"Mikomi?" Amaya looked to the ghost's empty seat. Kurama just glimpsed her brown hair as she left the room. Amaya sighed, drawing his attention back to her.

"She doesn't care," Amaya said almost despondently.

"Then I suggest we take tomorrow off and think over what we would like to present on and come to an agreement on Monday. We can begin working that afternoon," Kurama said. Amaya agreed with his idea and began to pack her things.

The fox had half a mind to chase down their other teammate, but decided there would be plenty of time to bother Mikomi later. No doubt she was upset over the fact that they had been placed in the same group. He stood with a small sigh as he recalled their last meeting. Kurama had a suspicion that this would not be a fun project.


End file.
